Facebook rights heads up

Hey everyone, I was just uploading a few photos to Facebook and noticed this in Facebooks T&C's (see bold point 2.1):

2. Sharing Your Content and Information

You own all of the content and information you post on Facebook, and you can control how it is shared through your privacy and application settings. In addition:

1. For content that is covered by intellectual property rights, like photos and videos ("IP content"), you specifically give us the following permission, subject to your privacy and application settings: you grant us a non-exclusive, transferable, sub-licensable, royalty-free, worldwide license to use any IP content that you post on or in connection with Facebook ("IP License"). This IP License ends when you delete your IP content or your account unless your content has been shared with others, and they have not deleted it.
2. When you delete IP content, it is deleted in a manner similar to emptying the recycle bin on a computer. However, you understand that removed content may persist in backup copies for a reasonable period of time (but will not be available to others).
3. When you use an application, your content and information is shared with the application. We require applications to respect your privacy, and your agreement with that application will control how the application can use, store, and transfer that content and information. (To learn more about Platform, read our Privacy Policy and Platform Page.)
4. When you publish content or information using the "everyone" setting, it means that you are allowing everyone, including people off of Facebook, to access and use that information, and to associate it with you (i.e., your name and profile picture).
5. We always appreciate your feedback or other suggestions about Facebook, but you understand that we may use them without any obligation to compensate you for them (just as you have no obligation to offer them).

Off topic: if anyone's interested I did a serious upload of 100+ pics to my flickr yesterday - and I'd appreciate some C&C Later tonight I'll post some to the forums in a few of the image threads but in the mean time I'm workin on essays and exam revision

I was not happy with FaceBook's privacy either, simple things like how easy it was for any friend or contact to share my photos with their friends and have therefore deleted all my photographs from FaceBook. Thanks for pointing this out, reaffirms my decision!

Re your C&C, when you have time, post a couple you are interested in getting feedback on in our new Photo Critique forum which is in the Image Works section.

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Thanks BB for pointing the critique section out BB, I'll definately be posting there when I find the time as recently I've been feeling very compelled to improve my skills, especially after my k5 purchase in Feb.

FB is way too overreaching on their lack of privacy and respect for individual rights. I find it amazing that there have not been big lawsuits against them or at least some monopoly legislation. I have a feeling it's going have to be some catastrophic event to get something to move against it. It's a catch 22, you have to be there because everyone is there. There really is no alternative. They know everything about everyone.

I did however find two of my flickr photos linked (not by me) through a website the other day here and here which I don't quite know if it breaches the copyrights on flickr. They are only small versions and provide a link back to flickr.

I don't post any pics on fb. I was sent info to sign up for an app that allows them free access to all my pics at any time and I just thought "no, I don't think so!" I only have fb so that I can talk to my stepsister in New Zealand from time to time. Can't see any other use for it at all!

I would never use Facebook - one of my big regrets is that I have not persuaded my two, (grown up), children to act likewise - i.e. not to use it

The collection of that much "personal data" in this "day and age" will only be used, someday, for "no good" by devious individuals and organisations

after seeing the film - "social network" - I dislike the concept, (and the creator - if the film is remotely true to life?), even more and see it as some kind of "universal dating agency" and that would be a polite description.

I am sure that it has many "good points" but to me the potential "negatives" outweigh these

I am usually on FaceBook all day. Since I work from home and do not have any work colleagues, FaceBook fills the gap and allows me to stay in touch with friends all across the globe! FaceBook is also awesome for staying up-to-date with celebrities (say Britney Spears and Pamela Anderson), news websites (like Faking News) and with Politicians (to tell them exactly what they are doing wrong, not that it helps). The trick is to put minimum data/info about yourself there and use privacy settings well. I agree with Bill, the movie (Social Network) made me dislike FB more than I wanted to! Their photo sharing system is fabulous though, if they amend their copyright terms and put more privacy features in place, I might put up my photos there again. I think it's still the best or easiest way of sharing photos with friends/relatives and getting their feedback/comments.

Thanks for your views, Mayank. I am sure that my daughter feels much as you do. Some of us are curmudgeons and don't always get "it". When my daughter is home and she shows me her friend Yuki's artwork or his movies via Facebook, I love seeing them... I think that some of us have seen the tiresome side...where some people seem to like to discuss just about every thought in their head or snack they've eaten.

FB is a good way to keep in touch with old friends and new. It's like a living yearbook. Young people are less concerned with privacy than older people are, it's just they way things are, those 30 and younger have always had the internet their entire lives, everything is instant. It would be very unusual to find someone under 30 who is not on FB. The older the individual the less FB friends one is likely to have, the average 25 year old will have 500 or 1000 or more, practically everyone they have met, a person in their 40's or 50's maybe 50-200. For a young person it is more socially dangerous not to be on FB than to be on it.

Sharing photos is only part of what they do, they share your information about what you like and what you do with businesses that pay them. That is why it is free, they are not looking at you directly but you as a conglomerate of people in your age group or area etc.

I wont post anything but snapshots to FaceBook, I'll put them on Flickr and then post a link to Facebook. A forum like this is something like FaceBook in a limited and less privacy invading way. We post photos and ideas here, it is shared here forever for anyone to see.

I too am a FB user of sorts. Not heavy but just use it to keep in touch with family, as I have no real friends in life, haha but I do use it to promote my website.
Thanks all for the info here. Going to read up and be just alittle more careful about what I put on the web. Great thread....

Thanks for all the replies to my post everyone - I love how this has turned into a very meaningful discussion, there have been some very good points made here.

I love the idea of Facebook as I have friends from all corners of the world and it definately helps me to keep in contact with them, something I'm very greatful for. However as others have pointed out, there are a number of privacy issues and you need to ensure you set your security/privacy settings well, and more importantly (IMO) avoid putting information on FB that you wouldn't tell strangers (Sorry I'm pretty much repeating you Mayank). Related to that is to only accept friend requests from people you know - I find it baffling that people will accept requests from strangers, allowing them full access to your information/photos, although I know that people (such as some of my friends) will accept requests to look more popular.

I think Facebook kind of reflects the kind of surveillance/information society that we live in today, especially of the younger generation. I have to admit my generation (around 21 years of age) are too laid back when it comes to some of the issues mentioned here in this thread, and unfortunately it seems worse with young teens these days.

EDIT: the Economist article is exactly what I refer to when I say surveillance society. An interesting thing that has been raised in some of my lectures at university (about surveillance and Foucault) is that Facebook has been used by employers to judge job applicants, and there was a debate about whether this should be allowed on radio.

I don't even have an account and I'm reasonably tech savy. My girlfriend uses it quite a bit. I like the idea. The problem is that you don't have control of the privacy. I think i'd be better off. Setting up my own server for such a thing and only let my friends and family access.

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